Extremely popular among tourists, Ranakpur is a quaint town in Rajasthan and one of the five most important pilgrimage places of Jainism. Despite being cut off from other tourist destinations in Rajasthan, Ranakpur receives several visitors because of its status as a major pilgrim destination in the state. It is tucked away in a remote valley in the Aravali mountain range and is situated around 96 km north of Udaipur in the Pali district.This beautiful, serene place is renowned for some amazingly carved Jain temples constructed in amber stone around the year 1439 AD. Ranakpur is named after Rana Kumbha, the ruler of Mewar who offered his land for the construction of a temple. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, a Jain businessman Dharna Shah, started its construction under the patronage of Rana Kumbha. The construction is well documented in a 1437 CE copper-plate record, inscriptions in the temple and a Sanskrit text Soma-Saubhagya Kavya. When the ground floor was completed, Acharya Soma Sundar Suri of Tapa Gachha supervised the ceremonies, which too are described in Soma-Saubhagya Kavya. The construction continued until 1458 AD. BEST PLACES TO STAY IN RANAKPUR Budget hotels cost in the range of Rs 600 to Rs 1000 per room for one night, and mid-range hotels will cost you between Rs 1000 and 4000 per room. Ranakpur also offers some luxury accommodation that will set you back by Rs 6000 to Rs 7000 per night. During summer the temperature goes up to 45 degree Celsius; winters however are pleasant. BEST PLACES TO EAT IN RANAKPUR Vegetarian Jain food is available at affordable rates inside the temple premises. You can try the in-house restaurants at the Maharani Bagh Orchard Retreat heritage hotel as well as the ones at Ranakpur Hill Resort and Fateh Bagh Hotel. The hotel Fateh Bagh has a multi cuisine restaurant that serves Indian and international cuisine. Don’t expect anything fancy.